X-Com: Operations
by The Stin
Summary: There are strategists, and then there are soldiers. Office workers and researchers keep X-Com running, but it would be nothing without the brave men and woman who go head to head with the unknown. This is war though. And war is hell. Not everybody will make it out alive. Currently a short drabble, but considering adding on.


**Disclaimer: I don't own X Com or any other associated property. If I did I might not suck at it so much.**

Lucas Schneider masked his racing heart with a cool exterior. Looking down the sight of his sniper rifle, he saw a grey head. Not a human head. More akin to a hairless monkey. A short second after spotting him, Lucas lined up the shot. *BANG* The sectoid's brain exploded out from the back of its head.

"Hostile down." He said dully.

The rest of the team was not having the same luck.

"Loki, I'm pinned down, I need sniper fire on these Xenos."

Lucas looked to his comrades position. He could see the plasma fire flying over her head from his position on a small hill. He couldn't see the the hostiles firing at her. A quick survey of the area revealed another hill nearby that would provide a viable position to attack the enemy. He didn't move however. It would take roughly 15 seconds to move to the other position, and then another five to prepare his shot. By then either the opposition would be gone or his comrade would he dead. His decision was made barely a second after the radio first cut off.

"Negative Missionary. Do not have eyes on the target. You're on your own."

"Brick, moving in to assist." The voice of the teams burly heavy weapons specialist chimed in over the com. The plasma fire stopped and was replaced with heavy machine gun fire, soon joined by the rat-a-tat of an assault rifle. Lucas moved his attention elsewhere.

"Delta be advi-gah!" A cry of pain came over the open com. One of the new squadies, an assault trooper, had been wounded. Lucas split his focus doubly, half on his rifle, half on his radio. A few seconds later three shots went off from the other side of the downed UFO that he didn't need the radio to hear.

"Delta Team..." The Squadie's voice came back in over the radio. He was gasping heavily. "Be advised that... That a wounded floater just took off... He didn't set down near me... He's probably close to one of you guys."

Lucas brought his sight back to Missionary and Brick. They had just finished off the sectoids that had been so much trouble earlier. No floaters in sight though.

"May have gone in the ship." Brick said. "Regroup out front. We'll move in on it then storm the command center."

Lucas signaled his affirmative and started preparing to move out. Only when he turned off the radio did he notice something though. A soft hum that he'd thought was static. Lucas cursed under his breath. The next two seconds happened slowly. Lucas leapt to his right just as a burst of plasma seared by. A second shot from the floater hit his right arm. Thick armor kept him from dying on the spot, but the pain was still great enough for him to drop his sniper rifle. Having done a 180 in the air, Lucas saw the floater in front of him. Orange blood dripped generously from it's side, the shotgun wound apparent. Lucas went for his side arm, snapping it up faster than the hurt alien could move its own weapon. One shot. One kill. Time flowed normally.

Lucas brought the radio back on. "Hostile down. I found the floater." Just another day in the life for an X Com operative.

**Le Notes: So what we have here is actually a really lengthy text I sent to a friend on my phone. I was playing Enemy Unknown (via my iPad, btw, don't own Apple either) and had a particularly eventful mission taking a downed UFO. I decided later to dramatize it. All names and nicknames used in this story are as they appeared in the game, all randomized. All of the events that occurred in this story are also as they occurred in the game (save dropping the sniper rifle which can't be done, although Lucas did finish the floater with his side arm). What happened later wasn't much. Lucas just stood on that hill while the rest of the squad went in and killed the outsider alien in the command center. Fun note. If you are in the middle of interrogating the sectoid and stun an outsider alien to get the crystal, the plot advances normally, and although Bradford is constantly telling you to research the outsider shard, until you stun another the good doctor will bug you at the end of every UFO mission that you should be trying to capture one of the outsiders. Derp. Anyhow, peace out. Tell me what you think in the reviews, and be a dear and check out some of my author page, maybe see my other fics. If they don't float your boat, then feel no obligation to read them.**


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